After the middle of the 19th century on the streets of San Francisco you had the chance of meeting almost everyday an unusual, rather bizzare individual, who seemed to watch out for everything as if anything was actually in his property. Or rather under his guise and protection. Smiling, very polite, talking to many of those who passed him by, wearing an army tunic (maybe a little old and used) and often a large, impressive hat, with an ostrich feather - the ceremonial sword was also a necessary and present item - the man was in his 40s, maybe his 50s, due to his beard and rather weary look. Yet he wasn't a bum or a nobody, not even an actor who was rehearsing for a future play. He was no other than Norton the First, the Emperor of the USA. Or so he claimed. Actually, Joshua Abraham Norton was another failed investor and businessman, born in 1819 but arriving in San Francinsco in 1849, when the Gold Rush was at it's height. Some became filthy rich, many more poor, and Norton was for a while favored by the gods and would later tell that he had about a quarter of a million dollars in estates and merchandise. Then, like so many others before and after him, he lost it all. A poor and destitute man, he simply disappeared from San Francisco and it wouldn't be long until he was simply forgotten.
So it was a surprise for all those who knew him when in the pages of local newspaper Bulletin, on September 18th 1859, there was an... imperial decree. The first decree of the Emperor of the USA, in which Joshua Norton, "according to the desire and will of the vast majority of the people", accepted to proclaim himself the imperial ruler. And in his generosity he was also the protector of Mexico, all in all. So, over the next few years, as he prowled the streets of San Francisco, he also tried to rule his land with an iron fist. Hidden in a velvet glove. And in the pages of the newspaper other orders and decrees were published. Norton the First wanted to throw down the Congress with the help of the army, wanted to disolve the existing two parties, and anounced that those who said Frisco instead of San Francisco would pay a fine ammounting to 25 dollars.
For over two decades the Emperor would turn out to be a most beloved local celebrity, a star of those times, a man everybody liked. His photographs sold like hot cakes, those who passed him by adressed him as an emperor highness, and although he was broke and slept wherever he could, he also had many advantages. Restaurant owners fed him, shops often gave him free clothes and almost anything he desired, and in 1871 a banknote with his seal was printed as a joke and keepsake. For all those years Norton played his part, and we can assume he was really happy.
He died on January 8th 1880 of a stroke, and so the first and last American emperor made his final appearance in the newspapers, and it wasn't surprising for one of his obituaries to say: Le Roi Est Mort! Over 10.000 of his people attented the funeral.
Photo: wikipedia.org
